Kadoma residents fume over waste

KADOMA residents have accused their local authority of failing to establish an effective waste management system in the mining town.

They said the city’s poor waste management system had resulted in raw sewage flowing into homes, uncollected refuse piling up and poor water supplies now the order of day.

Speaking to NewsDay during a snap survey yesterday, residents called on the council to urgently address the city’s waste issues because the situation was exposing residents to water-borne diseases.

Kadoma Progressive Residents Association chairperson, George Goliati said the city council had two refuse compactors which are inadequate to service the city.

“Refuse is not being collected because the city does not have enough refuse compactors. Refuse is everywhere and with the current cholera outbreak in the country, we now fear contaminating water borne diseases. Council should do something about this,” Goliati said.

One resident, Linda Chinobva said raw sewer pipe bursts had become rampant in the city’s residential areas.

“We all know what happened in 2008 and with the current cholera outbreak in the country, we now fear for our lives. The City Fathers are not doing anything to rectify the issue. Sewage is flowing everywhere, refuse is not being collected and people are dumping garbage everywhere,” she said.

“In some wards people are now buying water for domestic consumption.”

Another ratepayer, Tonderai Mapenzi said council was failing to provide services despite demanding and receiving payment.

“The rates are meant to improve service delivery including waste management and sewage maintenance. What frustrates us is that we pay our rates on time, but I cannot continue to pay rates when in return the city council is providing us poor service delivery,” he said.

“Garbage is piling up on our streets and raw sewage is bursting all over the place. We do not see any improvement in service delivery.”

Kadoma mayor Nigel Ruzario said council was aware of the challenges faced by residents.

“Council is very much aware of the situation that is why we implemented the 100-day programme so that we deliver what we promised to the people,” he said.

In 2015, Environment Africa judged Kadoma as the dirtiest city in Zimbabwe following an independent survey of the country’s major towns. Between 2008 and 2010 Kadoma experienced a severe cholera outbreak which killed 123 people and affected 6 393 others.-newsday